Louis Joseph de Lorraine Duke of Guise and Duke of Angoulême, was the only son of Louis, Duke of Joyeuse and Marie Françoise de Valois, the only daughter of the Count of Alès, Governor of Provence and son of Charles de Valois Duke of Angoulême, a bastard of Charles IX of France.
Background
He was born at the Hôtel de Guise, present Hôtel de Soubise. His mother having been confined to the abbey of Essay for "imbecility" (that is, mental illness), Louis Joseph was raised by his aunt and legal guardian, Marie de Lorraine, known as "Mademoiselle de Guise." Upon the death of his uncle Henry II, Duke of Guise, Louis Joseph succeeded him as head of the House of Guise.
Career
Mlle de Guise promptly ordered extensive renovations to the family"s stately residence, known as the "Hôtel de Guise."
He received an excellent education, under the guidance of Mlle de Guise"s protégé, Philippe Goibaut, and his skills as a horseman were honed by François Roger de Gaignières, his écuyer. On 15 June 1667, the young Duke married Élisabeth Marguerite d"Orléans, duchesse d"Alençon, daughter of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The couple had one son:
Francis Joseph de Lorraine, Duke of Alençon (1670–1675)
The young Duke was winning the approval of Louis XIV and was given the honor of being at the King"s side in military reviews.
Then disaster struck.
Returning from a visit to the court of Charles II, king of England, he fell ill with smallpox on 18 July 1671, and died twelve days later. The music for his funeral was composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
His body was carried to Joinville to be buried near his ancestors, and his heart was buried at the abbey of Montmartre.